Veterans & Military Personnel

More on Veterans & Military Personnel

“I applaud this move by the VA, streamlining the process for our veterans in need of care for their hearing and sight,” said Courtney. “These are the kinds of improvements that the VA has needed to implement, and I am glad to see them moving toward giving our veterans what they deserve: the finest care as promptly as possible.”

“This development will resolve once and for all the home port for the U.S. Coast Guard Band while allowing it to move forward with its goal of increasing the band’s national visibility to better promote the Coast Guard’s service to our country,” said Courtney. “This announcement is also good news for band members and their families who are longtime residents of southeastern Connecticut and would have been faced with the difficult choice of uprooting or retiring from the Coast Guard altogether. I want to thank Admiral Zukunft and his staff for their thoughtful deliberations, and for regularly making themselves available throughout this process. I was able to meet personally with the Admiral on several occasions to discuss why I believe it is so important for the band to remain here in eastern Connecticut near the Coast Guard Academy. I am very pleased that the band will continue to call our region home for generations to come.”

“I am honored to recognize the service and sacrifice of eastern Connecticut veterans who took part in the UN peacekeeping mission during the Korean War,” said Courtney. “While they served long ago, their role has not been forgotten in either this country, or in South Korea which bestowed the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medals I presented to them today. It is important that we take this opportunity to honor and remember the service of these veterans in front of their families and their communities.”

Last week, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, called for congressional action to help so-called blue water Navy veterans — those who served in territorial waters overseas during the Vietnam War, and who may suffer illnesses linked to exposure to Agent Orange.

“The VA’s recent decision to continue to deny care and benefits to “Blue Water” Vietnam Veterans makes clear that Congress must take action to finally fix this problem,” wrote Courtney. “That is why I urge you to pass the bipartisan Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act (HR 969), of which I am an original cosponsor, to ensure that all those who served on naval ships in the waters surrounding Vietnam – and exposed to Agent Orange – get the care and support they deserve.”

“I am very pleased that Manny has joined our team as the new military and veterans’ representative for the Second District,” said Courtney. “Manny devoted his life to serving his country during thirty-plus years working on submarines for the United States Navy. Now, he has agreed to come out of retirement once more to serve his fellow veterans as an advocate and caseworker in our Norwich office. I know Manny will be an incredible asset to the veterans of eastern Connecticut over the coming years, and I cannot thank him enough for accepting this responsibility on their behalf.”

The Association of Defense Communities recently honored U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, with a Congressional Leadership Award for his support of the military in Connecticut and his efforts to secure federal funding in support of the Navy's submarine fleet.

NORWICH—Today Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) issued a statement urging Connecticut veterans and servicemembers with student loans serviced by Navient Solutions to contact the Department of Justice’s special hotline after June 12th to determine if they are eligible for a settlement from the company.

Enfield, CT—This morning, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) presented two service medals to the family of Private Patrick O’Brien, who served in the U.S. Army in France and lost his life on October 6th, 1918, during World War I. Mary Knapp, O’Brien’s niece and a veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force in the Korean War, accepted the medals on behalf of her family.